


Kisses

by LtSarai



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kissing, dare kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-28 13:47:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13905306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtSarai/pseuds/LtSarai
Summary: Each chapter is a different kind of kiss. Prompt from Tumblr.





	1. First Kiss

"Truth or dare?"

  
"Dare."

  
"Alright, let me see." Amy insisted on playing Truth or Dare this girls' night and had a list of questions and dares open on her phone. She had to select a good one for Penny.

  
_'Improvise a rap about a person of your choice.' No. 'Put on your favorite song and dance like crazy.' She does that anyway. 'Flash someone and make it look like an accident.' That could be fun. Maybe later. 'Give the first person to enter the room a kiss.' Ooh that's good. Let's improve it._

  
"Ok. Penny, I dare you to kiss Sheldon."

  
Penny, who never balked at a dare and always took them seriously, nodded. She got up, rolled her shoulders, and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

  
Bernadette, having been dared to endure the remainder of the game with her glasses upside down, squinted at Amy, trying to focus. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

  
"No," Amy said. "I've tried it before. It was not satisfying. I've read up on dares and everything I've read said 'the more embarrassing the better.' This will be great."

  
Once in the hall, Penny took a moment to consider her task. It wasn't the first time she'd been dared to kiss a guy. However, it was the first time the guy she was dared to kiss was _Sheldon_. Whack-a-Doodle extraordinaire. She had to tread carefully. So instead of barging into 4A like she normally would, Penny knocked before letting herself in.

  
"Hey Sheldon can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

  
Sheldon  muted the tv and shifted his body, and therefore attention, to face her. "I suppose."

  
"Great," she said. "So we're playing Truth or Dare and I've been dare to kiss you, is that alright?"

  
Sheldon shot to his feet, a look of outrage on his face. "It most certainly is not! How dare you-"

  
Penny didn't let him finish. Her asking was more the courtesy of telling him rather than actually asking, anyway. She put one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hair as she stood on her toes to reach him.

  
Her lips fastened to his and cut off his diatribe. She caught him mid 'you' so his lips were perfectly poised, and instead of pulling away or freezing completely, he just let it happen. He relaxed his lips and closed his eyes and let out the tiniest huff of air through his nose. Which, considering she was expecting him to pull away, or at the very least continue to talk against her lips, was reasonable.

  
It wasn't a long kiss, but when she pulled back her heart was thumping in her ears. Sheldon's eyes opened slowly and refused to focus on on thing, darting around. Finally they settled on her face. Willing her heart to quiet, she smiled. "Thanks, Sweetie!" And with that she turned and went back to her apartment.

  
Sheldon watched the door close behind her and swallowed.

  
Back over in 4B Penny took her place in the triangle once more.

  
"So how was it?" Bernadette asked.

  
Penny thought for a second, comparing it to her past experiences. "Y'know? Surprisingly not bad."


	2. Shy Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheldon thinks about his past experiences and decides to test a theory.

Sheldon spent that night and much of the next day processing the experience. He'd been kissed before, by more than one person, and those times had all felt similarly. Amy's uncomfortably awkward accosting was only the most recent. She had 'surprised' him in an attempt to ascertain whether or not he was receptive to her advances, her words. Sheldon just thought she was temporarily insane. Thankfully, Amy also found it to be less than satisfactory and didn't repeat it. And Beverly Hofstadter's alcohol- and cheesecake-fueled ardour had also been an offensive invasion of his space. And then there had been the boy at Heidelberg when he was a guest professor, which was more uncomfortable than the others from sheer embarrassment. The German student had thought he was gay due to his constant rejection of his female students' attempts to get better grades and apologized when Sheldon told him in no uncertain terms that it was a good idea to ask these things before acting. And of course Missy's friends had also been dared to kiss him throughout his early years. So it was hardly his first kiss; it wasn't even his first dare kiss.

  
It was, however, the first kiss that didn't make him uncomfortable.

  
He wasn't sure if it was because Penny warned him ahead of time, or if it was just that she had a lot of experience with kissing and knew how to do it comfortably.

  
_I wonder if it was a fluke,_ he thought. _She has established a precedent of welcoming my physical presence. She kissed me first. It would not necessarily be weird for meto kiss her in an attempt to gather more data. She would understand._

  
At 8:15, approximately 23 hours after Penny was dared to kiss him, Sheldon and Penny met for their weekly laundry night.

  
"Hey Sheldon," Penny greeted.

  
"Good evening, Penny." Sheldon started loading his whites into the washer while Penny threw all of her clothes in without sorting colors. He had long ago given up on trying to get her to sort her clothes. If she wanted her whites to get dingy and her colors to fade, so be it. At least she knew not to wash her lingerie with her jeans.

  
A few minutes of comfortable silence passed while they each loaded their machines. When that was done he asked, "Penny, what does one do with one's hands when kissing?"

  
Penny frowned. "Well, there are lots of things you could do. Some of them are situational but for the most part if you stick to head, shoulders, and hips, you should be fine. Why, you thinkin' about kissing someone?" She couldn't resist teasing him.

  
"Yes. I have a theory that needs more data, and to obtain the data I need to kiss you again." That one threw her for a loop. She had expected Sheldon to never bring up their dare-kiss again and ignore it completely. Not that she was necessarily opposed to kissing him again. His lips were soft and she could tell he had real potential.

  
And if he could get her heart pounding with just a few seconds of one-sided kissing, she wondered what he could do if he actively participated. And it's not like she has anything better to do. She'd been single for weeks and it was starting to get boring.

  
"What's your theory?" she asked.

  
The washers finished filling and set to the wash cycle as Sheldon leaned against the folding table. "Well, I've been going over my past kissing experiences and I noticed that while they've all been similar in practice, _id est_ someone invades my personal space and touches their lips to mine, the incident with you was the only one that didn't make me uncomfortable. My theory is that it was A. a fluke, or B. simply that you have vastly more experience than I or any others who've accosted me and know enough to make it a pleasant experience for both parties. But for both options I need more data, and as I just said, in order to obtain more data I need to kiss you again."

  
"Id est?" she asked, confused. She was used to Sheldon throwing in weird words she didn't understand but that didn't sound like English.

  
"It's latin for 'that is,'" he explained. "And it's commonly abbreviated 'ie.' It precedes a rewording or clarification of a statement. In this case I was clarifying how exactly my experiences were similar."

  
Penny nodded, then processed the rest of his theory. "So you wanna know if you not being uncomfortable with me kissing you as a fluke or not?"

  
"That's a gross oversimplification," Sheldon frowned. "But ultimately yes."

  
She nodded again and mulled the idea over. "I don't see why not. Let's do it."

  
Sheldon pushed off the table and stepped closer to her, then hesitated. He'd been kissed many times before, but he'd never initiated one himself. Slowly, and reminiscent of their Christmas hug, he raised his arms to her face and tilted it slightly. Unconsciously, he licked his lips, drawing her gaze. Her lips parted just the slightest and she leaned into him. Just as slowly, he lowered his face to hers, their lips touching tentatively at first, then with more pressure, her bottom lip caught between his.

  
Their eyes fell closed and they each took a deep breath, each breating in the other. It wasn't in Penny's nature to be passive. Her hands went to his chest first, but slid up to his shoulders as she stepped closer to him. Sheldon felt every movement and point of contact acutely. It was unlike any kiss he'd endured before. His heartbeat accelerated and he heard his blood thumping in his ears. When Penny's hand slid into his hair he gasped and she touched her tongue to his quickly before retreating. That was a first for him, but it wasn't as repulsive as he'd imagined it'd be. In fact it was an intriguing sensation he was curious to experience again. But his neck was starting to stiffen. As he pulled away their noses brushed and he huffed a breath against her face. Penny's eyes remained closed for a moment longer, her hand falling back to his shoulder. Sheldon slid his hands down her neck, unaware that the delayed contact set her skin on fire.

  
One of the washing machines shuddered loudly and broke the atmosphere. Sheldon blinked and swallowed hard. "So. Not a fluke then. Good to know."

  
Penny hadn't known what to expect, but it was none of what had just occured and she didn't quite know how to process it. _Holy crap on a cracker. What a kiss._ She blinked and shook her head to clear it. "Hey do you mind watching my clothes for a sec? I'll be right back."

  
Sheldon nodded, still lost in his own head.

  
_Scientific method dictates that I add variables, test multiple times and in multiple ways, which would constitue kissing other women to establish a control. However I find myself unwilling to do so. I don't want to kiss anyone else. Possible conclusions: 1. Penny's experience makes it enjoyable for everyone involved.  2. Initiating the kiss myself gave me more power over the act itself, therefore elevating my comfort level because since I started it on my own terms I could also end it on my own terms. 3. It's just because it was Penny._

  
No closer to a concrete answer, but unwilling to do any more unbiased tests, Sheldon did something he rarely does; he let it go.


	3. Surprise Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would apologize in advance but I'm not sorry. This chapter is basically just me drooling over Jim Parsons. You're welcome.

Sunday saw her working the breakfast shift, so she was awake in time to see the guys before their paintball game. She just went over for coffee (and for the company, let's be honest, there's a reason she's not a morning person; mornings are lonely) but walked in on their strategy meeting.

  
"The Geologists have clearly been practicing their teamwork," Sheldon was saying. "So we need to split them up." He was using chess pieces to demonstrate the movements he wanted. He picked up the white king and placed it in front of the line of black pawns. "I'll take point. I'm the best shot of the four of us and likely to take out the majority of them." He picked up a white bishop and set it behind and to the left of his king. "Leonard, you'll cover me and flank left." Next he put a white rook behind and to the right of the king, but slightly behind the bishop, making a lopsided V. "Raj, you're the second best shot and you've got the rage to back it up when you're in the mood. We'll need that rage today. You'll need to flank them after we've split them up. Give 'em hell." Raj nodded. Lastly, Sheldon picked up a white pawn and put it in the far rear, making it a strange diamond. "Howard, that leaves you to cover Raj and Leonard. It won't be easy. The Geologists aren't afraid of digging trenches and those dirty bastards will hide. You'll have to keep a sharp eye out."

  
Penny listened to this as she made her coffee. She smiled as she realized he picked the pieces as he saw the others; the useful but limited bishop and rook, and the extremely limited but opportunistic pawn, and of course the king for himself.

  
She'd shared two kisses with him in as many days and they had changed the way she looked at him. Before there had been fond annoyance and good-natured scowling. Now she noticed things about him. The camouflage getup was unflattering, but that doesn't necessarily reflect badly on him; it didn't even look that good on her. But his neck was slender. The contrast of his dark hair and pale skin was striking. His eyebrows arched gracefully. He rarely truly smiled, but when he did it softened his face. His smirk, which was much more frequent given his penchant for smugness, was strangely alluring. No wonder all the grad students flocked to him. He's got smarts _and_ looks.

  
"You guys could do with a sniper," she said as she passed behind the couch. She noticed the white queen on Sheldon's end table and hid her smile behind her coffee cup.

  
"Yes, well, you work this morning," Sheldon said, annoyed. If they weren't arguing and actually worked together, Penny was their sniper on the rare occasions she accompanied them.

  
Penny smirked and stood behind him. "I have next Sunday off. If you can come up with a good enough reward for me to wake up before 11am on a weekend I'll be your sniper."

  
Penny bent down to kiss him on the cheek to complete her teasing, but he felt her hair on his neck and turned to face her, so her kiss landed on his lips. Given the last two days, it was less surprising for them, but the other three weren't so inured.

  
"Woah!" they all exclaimed, completely expecting Sheldon to pull away in revulsion and sprint to the bathroom.

  
"Woops!" Penny laughed. "I was going for your cheek but you moved."

  
"I'm sure," Sheldon replied, pursing his lips. "At least you're not wearing lipstick this morning. I'll consider your proposal."

  
"Oh!" Penny exclaimed, moving to the door once more. "That reminds me, I have to get ready for work. You guys have fun today."

  
When she was gone the guys all started at once.

  
"What the hell?" Howard exclaimed.

  
"Why are you not freaking out?" Leonard wondered.

  
"Are her lips as soft as they look?" Raj asked and they all looked at him questioningly. "What, you were wondering too, don't lie." Howard nodded and Leonard tilted his head as though to say 'fair enough.'

  
Sheldon sighed. "Howard you saw what happened. She went to kiss my cheek, but I turned and she missed. Leonard, that was hardly my first kiss, I know how to handle them. And Raj..." he paused. "I've never stopped to consider how soft her lips look, but upon reflection, she does use a variety of lip products to promote softness, so I suppose yes, they are as soft as they look."

  
"I thought so," Raj said, smiling.

  
Sheldon stood and grabbed his helmet off the arm of th couch. "Alright, I think we're actually adequately prepared for battle for once. Let's get a move on. I have to find a way to bribe Penny into waking up before 11 on a weekend." But even as he said it, an idea began to form.

  
_I might be able to get more than a sniper out of this bribe._


	4. Lazy Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one stretches the boundary of the word lazy and might be more apt to be called Tired Kiss instead, but the prompt was lazy and this is what I came up with. Deal with it.

A few days later Sheldon still hadn't fully fleshed out his plan. He thought he might've had it down at the comic book store but when he texted Penny to ask if she would be his partner for Halo night she told him she had the closing bar shift and would be home late.

  
Sheldon and Leonard were thoroughly trounced by Howard and Raj's near-telepathic-level teamwork. Howard had once described themselves as 'heterosexual life partners' and while Sheldon was sure it was a reference, it was one he didn't get.

  
When everyone had left and Leonard had retreated to his room Sheldon sat at his desk to get a little light reading in before bed. There was a new issue of an e-magazine he followed and he'd been anticipating reading it all day.

  
Half an hour later he heard Penny's distinctly heavy footsteps outside and a small amount of tension between his shoulder blades loosened when he realized she got home safely.

  
Ten minutes after that his phone vibrated and his text alert sounded.

  
_Penny: You still up?_

  
_Sheldon: Yes. I was just finishing an e-magazine. The article I was looking forward to reading turned out to be a bunch of crap._

  
_Penny: I'm sorry Sweetie. If it's any consolation my night was awful too._

  
_Sheldon: Why would your misery be a consolation? I do not enjoy schadenfreude._

  
_Penny: K idk what that means but I assume it means you're not happy that I feel bad. Mind if I come over for a little bit?_

  
_Sheldon: I'll make tea._

  
When Penny opened the door Sheldon was pouring the hot water into mugs. "I went with Sleepytime. It seemed like a soothing alternatve since I know you're not a fan of chamomile and I used the last peppermint for myself."

  
Sheldon turned around and stopped suddenly, the tea almost sloshing over the sides. He recovered quickly enough that Penny didn't notice. Not that she was likely to; she was sitting on the middle cushion of the couch in her pajamas with her eyes closed. Even if he weren't so practiced at reading his friend's body language he would have realized that she was exhausted.

  
Sheldon sat in his spot next to her and held her mug under her nose. When she inhaled the steam she perked up a bit and opened her eyes. She'd taken her makeup off so he could see the slight darkening under her eyes. No wonder she wore makeup.

  
"Would you like to discuss your day?" Sheldon offered. "A few more minutes won't upset my REM cycle too much."

  
Penny smiled the half smile of the tiredly grateful but decline his offer. "Nah, it's just the usual waitress woes, but this time with alcohol because I was tending the bar. If you don't mind I'd like to just sit here for a little bit, then I'll go back to my apartment and crash for like 13 hours."

  
"I would normally assume that to be an exaggeration, but you look like you could use all the sleep you can get."

  
Penny took a long drink from her tea mug and set it on the coffee table. "Ugh, you have no idea." She leaned her head onto his shoulder and for a moment he thought she'd fallen asleep. But then she moved her head to the side and nuzzled his collarbone before dropping a soft kiss onto it and mumbled "Thanks for the tea, Sweetie. You're the best."


	5. Forehead Kiss

_"You're the best."_

  
Sheldon felt a tightening in his chest that he was sure was purely psychosomatic, but felt more like his heart would suddenly leap from his body. He considered putting his arm around her but that would mean moving her. Then he realized she really had fallen asleep this time.

  
_Oh lord_ , he thought.

  
He tapped her on the shoulder three times. "Penny."

  
Tap tap tap. "Penny."

  
Tap tap tap. "Penny."

  
She turned again and buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling deeply. She scrunched her eyes and then blinked them open. They were an intensely bright green and Sheldon's breath caught in his throat. He swallowed and tried again.

  
"Go to bed, Penny."

  
She shook her head and whispered, "Don't wanna. It's lonely over there." More open in her exhaustion than she would ever be normally.

  
That tightening in Sheldon's chest increased along with his heartbeat. He'd had no idea she was lonely.

  
"I'll be right back."

  
She moved her head so he could get up but then lay her head on the striped pillow in Sheldon's spot, pulling her feet up with her.

  
Sheldon went to the linen closet and got the spare pillow and blanket and when he retuned she was fast asleep again. Carefully, he raised her head and switched pillows. She'd wake up with a crick in her neck if she used the throw pillow. Then he covered her with the blanket and tucked it in around her.

  
After he turned the overhead light off he turned on his desk lamp so she could see where she was if she woke up in the middle of the night.

  
Penny snuggled deeper into the pillow and a lock of hair fell over her face. Sheldon knelt down and brushed it back, placing a kiss on her forehead.

  
She hummed and Sheldon swallowed again, his face softening and a corner of his lips quirking up.

  
"Sleep well, Penny."


	6. Chapter 6

It was Saturday night. Sheldon had a plan in mind to bring Penny onto their paintball team as their sniper, hopefully permanently. He wasn't sure his 'bribe' would work but he had to try.

  
At 8:15pm Penny met him in the laundry room and he gathered his courage while loading the machine.

  
"So, Penny," he began. Confidence was key, he reminded himself. "Our paintball rematch against the Geology department is tomorrow."

  
Penny smirked. Sheldon didn't know it, but she was prepared to accept whatever 'bribe' he offered just to keep up the pretense. She just wanted to spend time with him. And shooting things was fun. "Yep. And you haven't offered me a good wake up bribe yet. You sure you really need me, Moonpie?"

  
Sheldon's jaw clenched at her use of his Meemaw's nickname for him but he reigned himself in. He did indeed need her. In more than just paintball, he was starting to realize.  
He drew in a deep breath and straightened his spine, bringing himself to his full height. He nodded in resolution and stepped toward her.

  
"If you join us for paintball there will be more where this came from."

  
Sheldon cupped her face and crashed his lips onto hers. It wasn't the gentle tentative exploration from a week ago. He'd had time to think about this and he knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to let her know. Her lips had slightly parted in surprise as he'd touched her face and now he took advantage of it by capturing her bottom lip between his. A moment's pressure and he touched his tongue to her lip, asking for more.

  
Penny opened for him and fisted her hands in his layered shirts, hauling him closer. She wasn't expecting this to be her bribe, but she would take it. And take it and take it, as long as he was offering.

  
His tongue didn't linger in her mouth long. It darted in and out, almost tentatively tasting her, and it was driving her crazy. The third time he darted in she caught it and sucked. It woke something in him and he pushed her up against the rumbling washing machine, one hand going into her hair while the other slid to her back, holding her closer. He was starting to feel the strain in his neck but didn't want to stop so he brought both hands under her arms, which had gone around his neck, and lifted her so she sat on the washer.

  
Now that they were on even footing, so to say, he could continue to explore. His hands slid up and down her back while hers trailed down his chest. He idly wondered if she could feel his heart beating against his ribcage. It was certainly beating hard enough.

  
Her shirt had ridden up when he lifted her and when his hands reached the small of her back he felt the heated skin there. When he stroked it Penny wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled their bodies flush. His hardness pressed against the seam of her jean shorts and they both gasped and broke apart, breathing hard.

  
Penny left a trail of small wet kisses along his jaw to his ear and whispered, "Are you bribing me with sex?" Then she took his earlobe between her teeth and lightly grazed it, sending a shiver down Sheldon's spine.

  
Sheldon buried his face in her neck and drew in an shuddering breath. "I wasn't." He whispered and  placed a kiss on the junction of her neck and shoulder. "But if this isn't a good enough bribe..."

  
He groaned as she tightened her legs around him, pressing him harder into her, and ran her nails through his hair.

  
"I mean I was gonna say yes regardless of what you came up with," she said, lightly pulling his hair to one side to expose his slender neck. She once saw it as strangleable. Now she just wanted to bite it; so she did, and he gasped and groaned again, grabbing her hips with both hands. "But if I can get more out of it I will."

  
"So you're saying you'll be my sniper tomorrow?" he asked, leaning his forehead against hers and looking from one eye to another.

  
Penny grinned. "Honey, if you wake me up with sex I will do just about anything you ask, short of cleaning."

  
"That's fine; I prefer to do the cleaning myself. You never get it right." He smiled and kissed her again.

  
~*DD*~*DD*~*DD*~

  
When the washers finally stopped they were so rumpled there was no mistaking what they'd been doing. Their lips were swollen and their hair mussed, and Sheldon had a fading red bite mark on his neck.

  
Penny brought up their situation while they were loading their second loads - his whites, her delicates. "In all seriousness, Sheldon, what do you want out of this? I'm not really comfortable with a 'friends-with-benefits' situation. I like you too much."

  
Sheldon shook his head and started the washer again. "I agree. But would you be opposed to a relationship?"

  
Penny felt a small frisson of fear strike her and brought her hand to her throat. "Would that really be a good idea though? What happens if we break up?"

  
Sheldon leaned against the washer and considered her questions. "I don't think it's a bad idea. We've been friends for years now. We already know the best and worst parts of each other. And if, for some reason, we decide to discontinue the relationship I believe we could resume our friendship fairly easily. Really, all we'd be doing by entering into a relationship would be adding a physical element to our already mutually fulfilling friendship."

  
Penny thought about that. About their particular brand of friendship. Then she thought about the last week, and their various kisses. If he was as good in bed as he was standing in the laundry room they had real potential as a couple. And even if he wasn't particularly good at first, he was a real quick learner.

  
"Alright," she said finally. "Let's try it. Sheldon, will you go out with me?"

  
Sheldon smiled. "Only if you agree to be my sniper tomorrow."

  
Penny grinned. "Deal. Seal it with a kiss?"


	7. Heated Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things really heat up now.

The next morning saw Sheldon awake at 6am. He got up, showered, got dressed, and ate his lowest fiber cereal.

  
Leonard woke up and set the coffee maker percolating at 8am.

  
Sheldon decided it was late enough. He grabbed his emergency key for Penny's apartment and made his way over. He promised he'd wake her up but he wanted it to be gradual, so he made sure to be as quiet as he could be. He toed off his shoes at her bedroom door but froze when she turned her head and sighed in her sleep.

  
He took in the sight of her asleep and felt himself stirring. She had kicked off her comforter; her camisole had ridden up and twisted around her torso, exposing her stomach and her right breast. She lay on her back with one arm above her head and the other hand settled on her lower abdomen, just above her pink cotton boy shorts.

  
When he'd entered he'd been nervous, but the butterflies in his stomach were replaced by a tug of pure want. He'd studied a map of the female erogenous zones before bed last night and put his new knowledge to work.

  
He sat on the edge of the bed and lightly ran his fingers from the hollow of her throat down her chest between her breasts, down her stomach, and circled her navel before very carefully moving her hand over. She very slightly shifted, letting him know she felt him.

  
He flattened his palm on her stomach and slowly circled, counter clockwise out of habit, and skimmed his fingertips across the waistband of her underwear before sliding up her right side and circled her bared nipple with his thumb. Penny sucked in a breath and shifted again, but remained asleep.

  
Her legs were situated in a triangle, with one straight and one bent, giving him easy access to her center. He repeated his earlier trail, starting at her throat, but didn't stop at he navel, instead continuing down and letting his nail lightly scrape down the center to the damp patch at the junction of her thighs. Penny twitched this time, and he almost snatched his hand back. Instead he continued down and caressed her left thigh, down and then back up, brushing her hot mound again on his way to her other thigh.

  
Penny's breathing was coming quicker by now and her nipples had furled as her breasts tightened in arousal. Sheldon licked his lips and brought his right hand to her left arm, caressing it from triceps to wrist and back down, all the while doing the same with his left hand and her thighs.

  
It was much like playing the piano. Each hand had it's own separate task that lead to the same result. His left hand pressed against her while his right tweaked the nipple still hidden by her camisole. The combination of those actions finally brought her back to consciousness and she moaned and shifted her hips higher, trying for more friction.

  
Sheldon's pants were tight around his groin and his breath was coming in short gasps to match his elevated heart rate. Now that she was awake to an extent he felt the need to kiss her. But he didn't want to go straight for her mouth. She'd left a slight mark on his neck last night and he wanted to repay the favor.

  
He had to turn around to lie next to her, but he propped himself up on an elbow and anchored his left hand on her right hip as he dipped his head down to her neck. Her left hand came down to cradle the back of his head.

  
When he kissed her neck she sighed and bowed her back, thrusting her chest up. Unsure if he'd get the message, she grabbed the hand on her hip and brought it up to her exposed breast. He lightly bit down on her neck and she moaned again. He bit down harder and she moaned louder and scraped her nails across his scalp. The jolt went straight to his cock and he grunted - not a sound he would normally make - and thrust his hips against hers.

  
Penny dragged his face over to hers and captured his lips as she lifted the hems of his double shirts. They separated long enough for him to remove them, then he was back above her, elbows on either side of her head. Penny ran her nails lightly down his bare chest and he shivered.

  
Suddenly Sheldon was on his back and Penny was straddling him. He'd never wondered at her rodeo ability before but now he could picture her riding a bucking bull and his cock throbbed at the image now branded across his retinas. He wondered idly if she had a cowboy hat, but then she took off her shirt and ground her hips into his.

  
Penny's hands deftly undid his fly and he felt every jolt and scrape. This time it was he who thrust his hips for more friction. She pulled his pants and underwear down simultaneously and stood to remove her own panties while he took off his socks.

  
For a moment she simply stood there, letting him admire her figure. Then she prowled - it was the only word in his vast vocabulary that fit - toward him like a lioness on the hunt. On all fours, she slowly crawled up his prone form, and like the prey he was he froze. Instinct had driven him this far but this was truly her territory. Now that she was awake he let her take over.

  
Penny raised herself to her knees and sat back on her calves, then took him in hand and squeezed. Sheldon's eyes fell closed and he sighed loudly, his fists clenching at his sides. She stroked him a few times and let go, reaching for her bedside table. His eyes opened once more at the loss of contact and he saw her rip open a condom with her teeth.

  
When she rolled it onto him he pulled her back down to him and sucked her bottom lip. His hands went to her breasts and she broke from his kiss to position him at her entrance.

  
Slowly, inch by inch, she slid over him and down, down, down to the hilt. When she completely sheathed him she braced her hands on his chest and squeezed her inner walls around him. He grunted again and his eyes fluttered, but he managed to keep them open. She was a sight to behold and he wanted to see everything, from her golden hair, thrown over one shoulder, to the darkened curls where they were joined.

  
~*DD*~*DD*~*DD*~

  
Penny crashed onto her side next to Sheldon in a boneless heap and tried to catch her breath. He may not have experience, but he was far from passive and you only had to tell him something once. She never thought she'd be grateful for his eidetic memory but now she was rethinking that.

  
After a moment she rose from the bed and grabbed a pack of baby wipes from her bathroom for him.

  
"I could get used to waking up like that," she grinned at him as he cleaned himself up.

  
"You might," he said, then threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her deeply.

  
~*DD*~*DD*~*DD*~

  
When they entered 4A the other two had already arrived.

  
"Good morning!" Penny greeted on her way to the coffee pot.

  
The other three stared at her as though she'd grown two other heads before their eyes. Penny happy before 11? Before coffee?

  
"What the hell did you bribe her with?" Leonard asked Sheldon as he returned to the living room.

  
"Penny?"

  
Penny smirked and said, "Did you know the female body has seven erogenous zones?" She let that sink in a moment as she walked to the couch and sipped her coffee. Then she sat in her spot on the couch and crossed her legs. "Because Sheldon does."

  
Sheldon finished setting up the black pawns and smirked as well. Penny bit her lip at the sight. The guys just continued to stare at them, mildly horrified and slightly curious, but neither said anything else.

  
Sheldon grabbed the white pieces and started. "Alright, gentlemen. And Penny. Last week's strategy worked well enough but they'll be expecting the split and flank again this week. We'll have to mix it up."

  
He went on to describe where everyone should go and what they should do but he may as well have been talking to toddlers for all they heard.

  
For what it was worth, Leonard's brain was stuck on Penny's and Sheldon's matching smirks while Howard was trying to figure out how there were seven erogenous zones on the female body. Raj was just muted by Penny's presence, but didn't bother paying attention to the strategy. He knew what had to happen, Sheldon had described it after the game last week. This was just the last minute refresher.

  
"...And none of you are paying attention, are you?" Sheldon scowled.

  
"Yeah, I don't think they're gonna get past us having sex like half an hour ago for at least another...hour?" She finished her coffee and got up to put her mug in the sink. "Anyway, you have me. They're reallly just canon fodder anyway, right?"

  
Sheldon followed her to the kitchen and they continued talking as though the others weren't even there. "They could be useful if they'd get over themselves, but I suppose today they're only good as a distraction."

  
Penny smiled and drew her arms around his waist. "Well there's you and me and I think we're a good enough team to take those dirty rock sucking bastards down."

  
"We certainly are," he said and met her halfway for an open mouthed kiss that quickly heated his blood. Unfortunately they didn't have time for anything else.

  
He pulled away and said, "We need to get changed. Don't bother with makeup, you're bound to sweat it off."

  
She grinned as she walked to the door. "Is that a promise?"


	8. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys' reactions to the Shenny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because someone reviewed. See, it really does work.

The closing of the door broke the spell of silence on the trio - in Raj's case, literally.

"What the hell, Sheldon?!" Leonard yelled.

  
"How the frak did _you_ get Penny?" Howard exclaimed.

  
"I can dig it," Raj said. "Congrats, dude."

  
Sheldon sighed and scowled. "I'm going to go change. I am not going to be the last person ready when one of our party is Penny." Of course he had nothing to worry about there; she had to shower first. But he didn't want to deal with their questions and avoidance was always his first tactic.

  
Howard turned to Raj, skeptical. "You can 'dig it?'"

  
Leonard's turn consisted of him gaping his mouth in a move reminiscent of a Sheldon's luminous goldfish, due to his flushed face. Finally he shook himself and asked, "In what way is that ok?"

  
Raj tilted his head. "Well, don't get me wrong, Sheldon and sex is not something I want to think about, but Sheldon and Penny make a weird kind of sense together. Opposites attract and all that."

  
"I mean for normal people, sure," Leonard said. "But Sheldon is the least normal person on Earth."

  
"And I always thought he was an alien who reproduced asexually after eating too much Thai food," Howard said.

  
Raj shrugged. "Maybe all it took was Penny. After so many laundry nights and Halo wins and apparently accidental kisses, maybe he finally realized he was just human enough to love."

  
Howard still looked skeptical, but Leonard was thoughtful.

  
_If anyone could do it, it would be Penny._

  
But he was still curious. He'd practically loved her at first sight, but it'd been almost four years and Sheldon hadn't shown any interest in her before last week.

  
When Sheldon came back wearing his plastic breatplate and camouflage, Leonard couldn't contain his curiosity. "When did this all start? Last week you didn't look twice at her, now you're sleeping with her?"

  
Sheldon sat his helmet on the arm of the couch and sat down, silently relieved he'd managed to beat Penny, however small the victory. Then he figured he should probably get the explanations over with before she got back. Better now than later when he had better things to do.

  
"Two Fridays ago Penny, Amy, and Bernadette were playing Truth or Dare. Penny was dared to kiss me. I found that her kiss did not make me uncomfortable and wondered if it was due to her vast experience or if it was just a fluke. So two Saturdays ago while doing our laundry together I decided to test my theories, both of which needed more data, which constituted kissing Penny again. I catalogued a variety of feelings that I later identified as overall positive, along with a distaste for continuing to test my theories with other people. I concluded that it was possible that initiating the kiss myself had elevated my comfort level, or maybe it was just Penny."

  
Leonard raised an eyebrow. "And you were fine with that? An unfinished, biased experiment, and you're fine with it?"

  
Sheldon nodded. "I am happy with the facts as they are. I have no need for further exploration. Progress for the sake of progress may be the scientific _raison d'etre_ , but it has no bearing on relationships. As I understand it, the phrase is 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

  
"Ain't that the truth?" Howard said.


	9. Goodbye Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter the feels.

A few weeks had passed with little real change, and that more than anything else convinced Howard and Leonard that the quicky dubbed "Shenny" wasn't such a bad thing after all.

  
Unfortunately, Penny had a family gathering that she couldn't weasel herself out of. Her parents had already bought her plane tickets and she couldn't bring herself to let them down like that. She hadn't seen them in over a year; they'd be devastated.

  
She was mostly disappointed to be leaving Sheldon. They were still in that 'honeymoon' period couples have at the beginning of a relationship. Or so she was told by just about everyone. Which was ridiculous. She was just going to miss the sex.

  
And sleeping next to him.

  
And waking up next to him.

  
And waking up under him.

  
And maybe she'll miss his snarky comments and his stupid breathy laugh and the way he looked at her and blushed when anyone made an innuendo toward them and the way he tried to patiently-but-not-really explain something to her and-

  
Holy crap on a cracker, she was in love with him.

  
She was in love with him and she was leaving for a week.

  
_Oh hell, I can't tell him now! What if he doesn't feel the same? I'll be telling him and then leaving for a freakin week! Jesus Fucking Christ, why did it have to be now?_

  
She'd just have to suck it up and keep her mouth shut until she got back. She was leaving tomorrow whether she liked it or not. She could suffer through dinner.

  
And the night.

  
With him.

  
_Balls._

  
~*DD*~*DD*~*DD*~

  
Sheldon was going over Penny's itinerary in his head before everyone arrived for dinner. He was sure she wouldn't actually follow it exactly, but it made him feel better about her leaving if he knew where she would be and what she would be doing almost every step of the way.

  
He would have booked her a train ticket but her parents had already purchased the plane ticket and Penny insisted she appease her parents. Sheldon was a notoriously nervous flyer, and apparently it now extended to being nervous for Penny. Every time he thought of her getting on a plane and potentially not returning, his heart stuttered and his stomach swooped like he was on a rollercoaster.

  
_Oh, what fresh hell is this?_ he thought. _Meemaw will know. It's about time for our weekly phone call anyway._

  
Sheldon retreated to his bedroom and dialed his grandmother's number. She answered after three rings.

  
_"Hello, Moonpie, how are ya baby?"_

  
"Hello, Meemaw. I actually called about how I'm feeling. I'm not quite sure."

  
_"Tell me all about it."_

  
Once he'd explained everything she chuckled, and while he was slightly peeved that she found it amusing, the mere fact that she found it amusing meant that she knew what he was feeling.

  
"Well?" There was just the barest hint of desperation in the simple question.

  
_"Baby, you're worried about her b'cause ya love her. And it's no wonder, from what you've told me she's a right peach. I'd be more surprised if you weren't worried for her safety."_

  
Suddenly everything slid into place. It was as though his world's axis had been ever-so-slightly tilted, but was now corrected.

  
"I love Penny," he said, pacing his bedroom. "Well hell, Meemaw, I can't tell her now! What if she doesn't feel the same? I'd tell her only to have her leave for a week. Or worse, she'd tell me she doesn't feel the same way, and she'd still leave for a week! Meemaw, why did you have to tell me this now?!"

  
Meemaw laughed again and Sheldon almost yelled at her in his distress, but caught himself in time. No one yelled at Meemaw. _"Sheldon, honey. Surely you can keep a lid on it for a week and tell her when she gets back?"_

  
Sheldon stopped his pacing. He wasn't good at keeping secrets. But this wasn't a secret, Meemaw knew. It was his possible future. And he could keep his discovery to himself for a while longer.

  
"I suppose I'll have to. Thank you, Meemaw. I have to go to dinner now. I'll call you next week and tell you how it goes."

  
_"You do that, Moonpie. I love you."_

  
"I love you too, Meemaw."

  
~*DD*~*DD*~*DD*~

  
Penny and Sheldon each managed to get through dinner without attracting any more attention than normal, but when it came time for bed, they each hesitated. Then Sheldon went to his bedroom to grab his pajamas and made his way over to Penny's.

  
"I'd like to check your bags and make sure you didn't forget anything. Would that bother you?"

  
Penny thought it was weird that he would actually ask instead of just doing it, but she wasn't going to say it. "Uh, no, Sheldon, go right ahead. I'll wait til morning to pack my bathroom stuff, though." She had a late morning flight, thankfully, so she'd have time to shower beforehand.

  
As Sheldon checked her luggage Penny searched her closet for her babydoll lingerie.* She was gonna tell him she loved him without telling him and hope he actually got the message. And there was no way she was going a week without sex without completely rocking his world.

  
Upon Sheldon's return to the bedroom, his mouth went dry. He tried to swallow but almost choked. Penny was kneeling on the bed in his favorite nightie and completely makeup-free. He had never been more thankful for his eidetic memory.

  
She slowly undressed him, but once he was naked he took over. He would try his hardest to let her know how he felt without actually telling her and hope she understood.

  
As they made love, their eyes never left the others' face. Their kisses tasted like goodbye, even though they each knew it was only temporary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Google Victoria's Secret babydoll lingerie and pick the one you like. YMMV.


	10. Reunion Kiss

**Reunion Kiss**

Sheldon texted her what she missed every day and she texted back that her relatives were torturing her every day and that she'd never been more glad that she gets to go back to California when this dumb reunion week was over.

It didn't keep them from missing each other, but it kept them sane.

It was the longest week they'd ever experienced.

Finally, it came to an end. Penny had endured 6 whole days of "When are you gonna settle down and give me great-grandbabies?" and "Are you still on that acting thing? You should start thinking of a real career, maybe go back to school." She was ready to either rip her hair out or rip someone's throat out.

She'd slept most of the plane ride home.

She spotted Sheldon instantly. He was taller than average, and generally stuck out like a sore thumb, but today he had help.

Today he had Leonard, Howard, and Raj holding a glittering sign that screamed 'WELCOME HOME, PENNY!' in bright letters, with Pennyblossoms glued to the edges.

She almost cried.

She might have cried a little.

It was good to be home.

Sheldon didn't run to her - Sheldon didn't run, period, full stop - but he did _almost_ get to a jogging pace as he hurried toward her. Penny had no reservations whatsoever and flat out sprinted to him, dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her.

She crashed into him, but the other three were there to back Sheldon up so no one ended up on the airport floor.

"God I missed you," she whispered into his 73 shirt, hugging him tight.

Sheldon held her just as tightly and murmured into her hair, "I missed you as well, Penny."

She pulled away from his chest long enough to wrap her arms around his neck instead and pulled his head down for a desperate kiss that just reiterated their statements.

Howard had gone to get his mom's van so they could leave, but Leonard and Raj watched the reunion. Leonard was accepting of their relationship, but still felt a little jealous. He'd probably always have feelings for Penny, but he could put those aside and be happy for his friends. Raj, on the other hand, was digging in his pockets for his handkerchief.

"It's so beautiful!" he wailed.

Sheldon and Penny finally pulled apart and grinned. He leaned his forehead on hers and their eyes fell closed, basking in each others' presence.

"I love you," they both said together. Their eyes flew open and they stared at each other a moment. Then Sheldon pulled her even closer and captured her lips again.

They each poured their hearts into it.

The people around them burst into applause. Raj might have started it but no one was paying much attention.

They broke apart again, gasping for breath.

Leonard's phone went off with a text from Howard saying he was at the door.

"Come on, guys," he said. "Let's go home."

Penny and Sheldon grinned at each other and gathered her luggage again.

"Yeah," Penny said. "Let's go home."


End file.
